The Arizona Republic put together a nice package for Brett Hull’s official introduction to the Phoenix community.
Sure Hull is past his prime, but he seems to be causing a genuine hockey buzz in Phoenix. There are certainly better players than the not-quite-in-his-prime-right-now Hull, but I can’t think of many who are as well known and fewer still who are as accomplished.
Having said that, though, what’s up with the Coyotes unretiring Bobby “Dad” Hull’s number nine? Even Brett seems kind of creeped out, telling the Republic “I don’t know if I’ve earned the right to be able to bring [the number] down, but he [Ed: Bobby or Managing Partner Wayne Gretzky?] assured me in all ways, it was going to happen whether I liked it or not.”
And why would Brett like it? He’s an amazing player on his own. If he was Brett Smith, his numbers wouldn’t be any less impressive. It always seemed that Brett succeeded in spite of being the son of an NHL legend. And I can’t imagine Bobby is thrilled that the franchise that was named after him is unretiring his number. Sure the number is going to his son, but does the fact that his son is playing for the franchise he helped launch somehow diminish his achievements? Apparently it does.
Will any players even bother helping their kids with sports? It seems kind of self-defeating, since if your kids are any good, they’re just going to join your old team and pull your number down from the rafters.Bob McManaman has an OK one-on-one with Brett Hull, too.
And depite the fact that the Coyotes don’t have a coach yet, people are guessing Hull will play on a second line with Mike Comrie and Shane Doan. It seems the theory is that Comrie will draw the defense, Doan will bowl over the defense, and Hull will be the trigger man.